One Response to Ghazal #381 Divan-e-Hafez, Khanlari

This ghazal is interesting for the sustained insistence of
its imagery. In the first beyt, the speaker compares himself
to the rose who sheds her petals to reveal her beauty
in hope of the beloved. The “body’s garments” refers to
gross consciousness. In the second beyt, the speaker
repeats the same image and wonders why the rose was
not so convinced. In the third beyt, the speaks complains
of how easy love was at first…In the fourth beyt, the speaker
complains of the enemy or rival (a common trope). But in
the fifth beyt, the speaker makes a very witty reference
to the beloved’s intoxicating beauty which by all rights
should be enjoyed except for the fact that her heart
is cold (indifferent, unyielding) like iron, despite her
bright appearance. In the next beyt, the speaker
compares himself to a candle whose suffering is sheer
poetry. In the seventh beyt, the speaker begs for mercy
that the beloved’s actions not make a public humiliation
of his suffering. In the eighth beyt, he again begs for mercy
given that he’s completely intoxicated with her curls. In the
last beyt, Hafez repeats his request for mercy for the reason
that by the mere fact of being so tangled up with her, he must
deserve her!